Life

Don and Goss Execute Brilliant Races in Manta

Tim Don was unbeatable while Lauren Goss made it look easy on the run at the inaugural Ecuador Travel IRONMAN 70.3 Ecuador.

by Shawn Skene, photos by Robbie Little/FinisherPix.com

Don’s dogged determination rewarded

Tim Don (GBR) led a lead pack of five out of the water with his 24:13 swim. James Hadley (GBR) was just a hair behind Don in second, while Jonathan Tryoen (FRA), Rodrigo Sepulveda (CHL), and Braden Currie (NZL) followed the lead pair into transition seconds later.

Don took the bike out hard on the smooth-as-butter roads early on the bike and established that he was the one to beat. At the end of the bike, Don managed to build up 9-minute leads on Tryoen and Hadley and over 11 minutes on Currie and Roberto Rivera (CHL).

Now in his element, Don took out the opening miles on the run at a blistering pace and padded his lead by an additional three minutes on Currie and Hadley in the first 6 miles of the run. With what appeared to be an insurmountable lead and the win in sight, the only thing that looked like it may hamper Don’s clear sailing to the win was a pair of dogs that hounded the leader briefly. Undeterred, Don outran his competition and his canine friends and cruised the last half of the run.

Don handily won the inaugural event in Ecuador with a 3:51:34 clocking. Currie held on for a second-place finish while Rivera passed a faltering Hadley to claim the last step on the podium.

Goss responds on the run

The women’s race featured a shootout between three women. Lauren Goos (USA) clambered out of the water with minute and half leads on Valentina Carvallo (CHL) and Dede Griesbauer (USA).

Goss and Griesbauer rode together in the middle section of the 56-mile course. Griesbauer was first to dismount her bike with a minute lead on Goss and almost 8 minutes on Carvallo.

Thanks to a lightning-fast transition and fast-paced open half mile of the run, Goss reduced her deficit to a mere 17 seconds to Griesbauer with over 12 miles of running in front of them. At one mile into the run, Goss made the pass for the lead and at the completion of the first half of the run had built up a 5-minute lead on Griesbauer and over 6 minutes on Carvallo. The wheels would later fall of Griesbauer’s race; Carvallo passed the struggling veteran while Goss enjoy a clear path towards the finish line and stormed on to the win with a 4:14:38 finish time. Carvallo would take second, while Griesbauer would gamely finished off the race after a gallant effort to push the pace on the bike.